Sock it to Me Rock Karen K's room review
Yeah! We have ANOTHER Karen who wants a room review! Karen K here it is!
Photo 1 with Table, Chair and Ott Light (seen above)
You have a good chair and a great light so you are off to a great beginning. You also have a nice long table here and the trash can is handy. You have some nice black storage accordian boxes under the desk. Think about bringing all the 'prettier' boxes up to eye level like this and moving out of sight all the 'oddball' stacks, bags, and crates. Be sure that every single thing in your long plastic drawer units is something you love and will USE. Sort. Sort. Sort. You know I am going to say this, but clear off the table. Keep it all clear except for those basic tools you use daily and the layout/page kit or project you are currently working on.. I am seeing a lot of items here on the table that you probably don't use daily. The hatbox, coluzzle binder, and three ? paint caddies could find new homes. Try to use the blank space on the wall over the table for a combination of narrow shelving for your paints and perhaps some inspirational artwork. If you have a favorite artist, place an inspirational piece.
You mentioned that your hubby built the shelving on the other side o the room. Have him make another set for this wall too. I think that would be awesome! A section of this new shelving could be 4 inches deep for all those paints shelved in rainbow order! I see you have an interest in family history. Be sure to make a section of your new shelving for your software, magazines, notes and research.
Photo 2: with purple box and black drawer units.
You may be robbing yourself of storage and horizontal workspace by not putting things away. You don't want to have to work on the floor and really there is no reason to have to do that! You have lots of horizontal workspaces. Clear them and use them. Clutter is not a good look. Put things away right away. Why? One reason is SAFETY. Your toddler deserves a tidy safe place for his mommy to work. I spotted 9 plastic shopping bags within his reach in this set of 4 photos. (Not totes, Not flexible containers.) Those kinds of shopping bags can harm a child. Let's keep things put everything away as you bring them into the house.
I love the fact that you have a whole bank of drawer units. Do you want to switch them from black to white? Above this whole area, you could use some shelving or some inspirational art. Try your fave artist William Bouguereau. His style would go very well with a dignified rustic 'country' decor or a vintage chic decor.
Photo 3 toddler and scraprack
This photo gave me the most to review. First off, darling tot in the foreground! :) I think you need to add some framed big black and white photos of the same darling kiddo and any others to this space. :) Great inspiration and ART.
I love that the Scraprack has it's own table. Make sure it doesn't have to compete for space with the white drawer units. Place those units elsewhere--perhaps on your new on-the-wall shelving. Clear out the corners and small crawl spaces of any baggies and misc--again for safety as well as tidyness. Store larger items there that you rarely use in those little spots . Place the clock on the wall. As mentioned pick up and put away all the plastic bags. Consider moving up all the pretty accordian boxes, orange binders, and nice photo boxes to eye view and the heaviest items down to lower shelves. The phone cord looks very long and a bit of a hazzard for tripping and toddler play.... I wonder if you can hang the phone on the wall or swap out or shorten the cord? Put away the Luvs diapers or if you like to keep them handy in the room, find a nice basket or bin for them. Green folders into a file cabinet or drawer.
Clean out each shelf and each box. You started to label the clear boxes on th eupper shelving but you didn't use your pretty papers, sticker letters or stamps! Spruce up your labeling. :) Have fun with it and make them pretty! Create a tape and mailer station for your postal needs if you want one. Store all your shipping tapes and Priority boxes together. Sort your magazines and idea books out and if you want to sort magazines by season use that navy blue 4 slot unit on the top shelf.
Photo 4 pegboard
Counter clutter alert! Let's take care of that. You mentioned that inside the white cabinet is where you keep your page kits. I would decide on a favorite horizontal space to sit at for your 'desk' like we saw in photo 1 and make sure that you store your page kits closer by that desk so you can grab one and do them easily. Your pegboard is a good storage device and I think if you move all items up about 8 inches you will get almost a whole other row of hanging storage on it. Lay it all out to best use of space --just as you would a page layout! No wasted inches! Add a long narrow shelf or rack if you can to the pegboard area also-- to get the flower bottles up of the counter.
On the pegboard layout, place your ten most used items in lower section and your ten least used items up along the top row --way up. Are all your fibers and ribbons together? I bet you have more than show on the pegboard.On the shelves I see lots of bottles of ?glitter or other items in a flat wooden box. Consider placing that on the wall or using a spice rack so you can see your items. Unused albums UP, lightweight items up, and easy to grab items UP high.
Various supplies like in your clear labeled boxes come DOWN a shelf so you can grab them. Remember let your pretty storage containers SHOW since you paid for the look! Store things in rows. But try not to stack two or three deep on one shelf if you can help it. No dead space. Make sure the light fixture has a shade. :) The Xyron can move to other shelving. Set up one end of the counter or the other for your Sizzlet and Sizzix die cutting. Store the dies near that. Once the horizontal surfaces are clear, consider adding under counter lighting or one or two chic table lamps. On your desk you have room for two small table lamps for better spot lighting.
You have a wonderul large space and with a few changes you will really have a SUPER space. I think if your hubby makes you another shelving unit or two with mixed height shelving you will be able to get much more off the horizontal suraces and up to the vertical spaces. You will love not having to fight the clutter. And it will be a more peaceful, inspirational space with safety in mind for the little one! Make sure that when you change out items, you keep your goal 'style' in mind. If you like white work toward that scheme. No more black. No more clutter. Get inspired by art.
Thank you Karen K for taking the plunge and sending me your room to review. I enjoyed it and hope this will help.
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